15 Non-Awkward Ways to Grow Out Your Short Haircut

It doesn't have to be a weird transition.

Realized that pixie or bob haircut isn't for you? Luckily, it is possible to make a graceful transition back to long.

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Even as the top layers of hair are growing out, ask your stylist to keep face-framing pieces gently textured. Work in a styling paste, like Evo Crop Strutters Construction Cream ($29.95), for piece-y definition.
From: Redbook

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Michelle Williams

Once hair has grown in a bit, give it a flirty, girly look by slicking it into place with a light-hold gel and tucking it behind your ears. If your hair won't stay put, secure with a couple of bobby pins placed just behind the ears.

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Charlize Theron

Charlize's waves solve the problem of a too-long pixie. Get the effect at home by sleeping in foam rollers with hair curled away from your face or by using a curling iron. Spritz with hairspray and scrunch for a loose, bouncy effect.

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While growing out the top portion of your hair, it's important to keep a sculpted edge. "When looking at the perimeter of the haircut, your stylist should eliminate the weight from the bulky areas," says Ouidad Creative Director Morgan Willhite. "This will allow hair to collapse and lie correctly. Removing excess weight can also help bypass the awkward in-between stage of growth."

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If your hair is naturally fairly straight, an ombré effect with lightened ends can take the edge off a chin-skimming cut. Why? The darker portion creates a face-framing effect as you add length. Do your color at home with L'Oréal Paris's Féria Ombré kit ($9.99).

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Danielle Brooks

Once hair has a little more length, pile it loosely across your crown for an easy, flirty look. A hard-core styling gel will tamp down the front and any shorter pieces that don't fit into your updo.

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If you haven't made it to the stylist recently, a curling iron can help pull hair up to the length you'd like it. Try curling sections with a one-inch-barrel iron, misting with a little hairspray, and gently shaking out with your fingers, suggests Cutler/Redken styling and grooming expert Jenny Balding.

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Rather than disguising her in-between length, JLaw turns a just-above-the-chin cut into the latest cool-girl style, slicking back one side and adding structured waves to the other. "Jennifer's new bob proves that, with a little patience, you can go from pixie to bob gracefully," says Laura Dahl, founder of the haircut-inspiration site Pyxie.

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Kristen Stewart

Kristen's new, eye-catching cut is a great growing-out style — or a way to test the waters if you're considering a shorter 'do. Though longer than a pixie, it retains the traditional rounded shape with waves falling over one eye. Create them at home by using a half-inch curling iron on small pieces, then mussing with your fingers.

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Elisabeth Moss

When hair falls into the no-man's-land between your chin and shoulders, a little curl at the tips can bring the shape up to a more polished bob.

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Encourage natural waves and keep a jaw-length cut from falling flat with Garnier Fructis Sky-Hi Volume Mousse ($4.29). "While growing out a blunt bob, it's important to thin out the ends ever so slightly once they reach your ears," says Dahl. "Otherwise, you could end up with a puffy shelf of hair."

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